Nostalgia ain't what it used to be

Arrogance and Ego in the ER

Date: 01 February, 2012

By: Chief

here is nothing fun or exciting about a trip to the local hospital's emergency room or trauma center. Yeah, you maybe running red lights but — you are not the one doing the driving. You may not even be conscious. Either way, you are merely the passenger in a very uncomfortable bed, called a gurney and you are probably being stuck, probed and prodded by the EMT's attempting to get railroad spikes they call IV needles into your veins so that fluids can be pumped into you — like them or not.

The fun begins

Once your ride to the ER has ended — hopefully at the ER a second trip begins — your survival in the emergency room. Believe me when I say this — if you or your spouse, lover, significant other or just a plain old member of the family does not have their act in one sock your stay is going to be a an absolute nightmare of possibly fatal proportions. No, I am not kidding. And I sure wish I was.

You or who ever is with you had better have one piece of paper with them — your medication and idiosyncrasy list. It is, without doubt, the single most important piece of paper there is. It is, as far as health goes, far more important than a:

Birth certificate,

Social security card,

Drivers license, or even a;

Marriage license.

If you do not believe the foregoing to be true the very next time you happen to be a patient in an emergency room and you or your mouth piece (for health matters) do not have a medication and idiosyncrasy list — your stay in the ER could be very short and your stay in a pine box could be very long.

The list

What makes this list so bloody important is simply that your life is what is at stake. The list does exactly what it says — it maintains what medications you are taking. Both:

Prescription, and;

Non-prescription.

Additionally there is the idiosyncrasy part. The why you do what you do and reason you do it the way you do. There, that makes sense. Kinda. This is especially important if you have a pre-existing condition or disease. Such as:

Type I diabetes (a true and tricky disease),

High blood pressure (a condition), and;

GERD (a sympton).

To get the most effect out of the medications you take them in a certain order and at a certain time of the day and or night. Furthermore, you eat on a preset schedule, test your blood sugar several times a day, test your blood pressure at least twice a day and take your insulin dependent upon when you eat and what you eat. Literally speaking — as you get older you live your life around a schedule. Like it or not ... that is how it is. The alternative you will get to your final resting place sooner than expected.

The Gods around us

Within the purported hallowed halls of an ER or hospital there are Gods. These Gods appear as mortals to you and I but they are Gods nonetheless. Just ask any one of them and should one decide to answer your obviously stupid question he or she will just look down their nose at you and say something along the lines of:

"Of course. Why do you think I wear a white lab coat?"

He or she shall then turn and walk away to wash their hands (he or she did speak to a mere mortal remember).

In true Godliness fashion these Gods even have a certificate stating that yes indeed he or she is actually a God. This really large with lots of really fancy print certifies that the bearer has completed God school and is entitled to all the trappings of being a God. To be sure these Gods now have a title — MD to go along with their name. Must be nice to be a God.

As you could very easily tell these mortal Gods are doctors. Just don't tell them that. It does upset them so. And because of their certificate along with the way most people have been taught to treat them ("always do what the doctor orders"), these bozos actually think they are Gods.

They sure as shootin' act the part. Which is why the medication and idiosyncrasy list is so all fired important. Gods do not normally read the list — I'm not so sure they can even read — but that is a story for another time. But they do have some one else do that for them. The problem, and it is a very real problem, is these Gods will treat you for what seems to be ailing you the way he or she thinks you ought to be treated. Never mind the medications you currently are taking. Never mind that you cannot take a certain kind of blood pressure pill — it causes your blood sugar levels to sky-rocket or you are just flat out allergic to a certain type of anti-biotic. Naw, don't worry about those things — you are being treated by a God. They pay no attention to mere lists brought to them by mere mortals. And what happens? You get worse — not better. Indeed you could die at the hands of a God. This is not a good way to end your day.

Standing on a God's neck

You or your mouth piece have got to do that. If you do not these play pretend Gods will walk all over you and you or your loved one could very well die in the process. I know this to be a fact because I have had to do it for my lovely wife on two different occasions. The arrogance and ego of a doctor know no bounds. It is unbelievable. But, once you have him or her by the short hair they tend to listen and do what they are told. It is the only way I have found that will (and does) work with these holier than thou excrement excreting orifices.

The sooner you jump on these educated twits the better. Once you have their attention they will stop at nothing to get you or your loved one better and gone. Quick. Why? Because they are smart enough to know that if they do not get you or your loved better — the end result just might be a lawsuit and the loss of their God certificate. They can't have that.

Epilogue

Hospitals do not like lawsuits. Neither do medical associations. It costs them lots of:

Time,

Bad press,

Patients, and most of all;

Money.

Hence, hospitals and doctors will just about anything to avoid being the headline story on the front page of the local paper:

"Local hospital sued for malpractice ... again."

Face it, that kind of headline is just not good for business. Of course the worst headline is when a hospital and or doctor loses the suit. Which happens more times than not. Though you normally do not see that sort of headline because the hospital and or doctor settles out of court and a confidentially agreement is put in place.

That, my friends, is the final reason for the list. It makes very good material for a law suit should the doctor be a complete — south end of a north bound horse. And there are plenty of them roaming around.

As the old saying goes: So many doctors ... so little time.

[Ed. note: Story update. If you live in a state which recognizes the "Five wishes" medical notice form. Use it! It truly gives you, the patient and/or the patient's mouth piece a lot of legal juice. The form is also very easy to fill out.]